¿Cómo escribir? (Frases y consejos de escritores)

CHARLES BUKOWSKI

¿Así que quieres ser escritor? (versión original en inglés debajo)

Si no te sale ardiendo de dentro,a pesar de todo,no lo hagas.A no ser que salga espontáneamente de tu corazóny de tu mente y de tu bocay de tus tripas,no lo hagas.Si tienes que sentarte durante horascon la mirada fija en la pantalla del ordenadoró clavado en tu máquina de escribirbuscando las palabras,no lo hagas.Si lo haces por dinero o fama,no lo hagas.Si lo haces porque quieres mujeres en tu cama,no lo hagas.Si tienes que sentartey reescribirlo una y otra vez,no lo hagas.Si te cansa sólo pensar en hacerlo,no lo hagas.Si estás intentando escribircomo cualquier otro, olvídalo.

Si tienes que esperar a que salga rugiendo de ti,
espera pacientemente.
Si nunca sale rugiendo de ti, haz otra cosa.

Si primero tienes que leerlo a tu esposao a tu novia o a tu novioo a tus padres o a cualquiera,no estás preparado.

No seas como tantos escritores,no seas como tantos miles depersonas que se llaman a sí mismos escritores,no seas soso y aburrido y pretencioso,no te consumas en tu amor propio.Las bibliotecas del mundobostezan hasta dormirsecon esa gente.No seas uno de ellos.No lo hagas.A no ser que salga de tu almacomo un cohete,a no ser que quedarte quietopudiera llevarte a la locura,al suicidio o al asesinato,no lo hagas.

A no ser que el sol dentro de ti
esté quemando tus tripas, no lo hagas.

Cuando sea verdaderamente el momento,y si has sido elegido,sucederá por sí solo yseguirá sucediendo hasta que mueraso hasta que muera en ti.

No hay otro camino.

Y nunca lo hubo.

So you want to be a writer?

if it doesn't come bursting out of you
in spite of everything,
don't do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
and your gut,
don't do it.
if you have to sit for hours
staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your
typewriter
searching for words,
don't do it.
if you're doing it for money or
fame,
don't do it.
if you're doing it because you want
women in your bed,
don't do it.
if you have to sit there and
rewrite it again and again,
don't do it.
if it's hard work just thinking about doing it,
don't do it.
if you're trying to write like somebody
else,
forget about it.

if you have to wait for it to roar out of you,
then wait patiently.
if it never does roar out of you,
do something else.

if you first have to read it to your wife
or your girlfriend or your boyfriend
or your parents or to anybody at all,
you're not ready.

don't be like so many writers,
don't be like so many thousands of
people who call themselves writers,
don't be dull and boring and
pretentious, don't be consumed with self-
love.
the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to
sleep
over your kind.
don't add to that.
don't do it.
unless it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder,
don't do it.
unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don't do it.

when it is truly time,
and if you have been chosen,
it will do it by
itself and it will keep on doing it
until you die or it dies in you.

there is no other way.

and there never was.

Charles Bukowski (Estados Unidos, 1920-1994)
Obras más reconocidas: Cartero / Pulp / Mujeres / Historias de locura ordinaria